Cat and Mouse
by Moe Shmoe
Summary: While drunk one night, Eric picks an argument with Charles over their "relationship" and how it fits into their complex world. Chapter 6!, Eric/Charles please R/R
1. Chapter 1

The air was damp that night, making the cobble stones that lead to the front door much more slippery then normal. My jacket open did little to keep the wet out but we'd be home soon enough. Erik pulled on my shoulder bringing me back into the real world and out of my head.

"Please, never talk me into another fundraiser with your colleges." He tried as hard as he could to keep the sloshed tone out of his voice, but his need for psychical suport wasn't helping his smoke and mirrors.

"Don't let their backgrounds make you feel less- then Erik, everyone is a trust fund baby. You've earned everything you have."

"Haha! What do I have? A collection of turtle necks?"

I had suddenly realized Eric was the drunkest I had ever seen him. I couldn't help but laugh as I made sure my grip around his waist was snug enough to aid him in each step he attempted to take.

"They're all of very high quality, and match your slacks and jackets extremely well." I encouraged, hoping to smooth Eric's quickly shifting feelings.

His mood could flip quickly enough sober, now with his gears lubed with scotch, I couldn't help but dread the rest of the night. He pulled away from me, taking several baby deer steps backwards onto the lawn. He chuckled for a moment putting his hands on his hips looking up at the grand house in front of him.

"I'm not any of this Charles." He said gesturing towards the house. I couldn't help but feel something inside of me sink. He constantly doubted his self worth, while everyone around him saw a strong willed, confident person.

He would never fully see his own intelligence, hear his confident laugh, or admire everything he had accomplished and endured. That small tortured boy would always be whispering in his ear. I'd lead Eric two steps forward and he would take four steps back.

As I stepped onto the grass I couldn't help but notice the top floor bathroom light switch on.

"It's late Eric, we can talk inside..." I pleaded

"I don't want to "talk" inside Charles!" He snapped in a tone I had never heard from him before.

"I need you." I didn't know what else to say. He laughed at my response as if it was too good to be true.

"Stop it Charles."

"Stop what?" I snapped falling into the trap that was Eric's drunken argument. He flashed a grin, but it was only mocking me, at times I felt as if there was two of him. A softer, quick witted person and a tortured monster that constantly strived to sabotage the other.

"What are we doing? Why do we keep playing these games?"

I took Eric's wrist in a desperate attempt to prevent him from making a fool out of himself. His feelings were like water going through a broken lawn hose; it came out in all the wrong places at the wrong times.

He turned the tables on me taking my own wrist in his hand, his free hand coming up to my face. I could smell his breath, I could feel his distress.

"You've had too much to drink, tomorrow morning you'll ask me why I didn't stop you." I said as patiently as I could.

"I can't be near you and not be with you Charles."

I felt my teeth grid and my mouth press into a very thin line as my chest burned. He killed me anytime he played this cat and mouse game.

"Stop it Eric." He now had me saying it, one of the world's greatest minds and I'd fallen into a high school argument.

"No Charles..."

"No Eric!" I shouted letting him light a fire under me. "You say that now! You say it at night! But, but- but come morning you're a man of stone again! I can't play be your rules!"

"My rules? Oh! My rules! All I do is play by _your rules_! I dress for you, I wake for you, I go where you want me to go and behave myself at stupid parties filled with people who have no idea what the world is really like, but they sure seem to enjoy talking as if they do! I live for _you_ Charles! Would it kill you to do the same for me?"

We had been yelling on the front lawn for quite some time before the children made their spying known in order to break up the argument.

Eric was lead into the house by Hank who had taken the role of guiding him in.

Raven, now at my side as I collected my thoughts and waited for my heart to slow down.

"What were you two arguing about?" She asked walking along side of me into the house.

"Oh just... bills." I said with a shrug knowing very well my answer was a poor lie, but she knew better to press me.

Inside I stood in the doorway watching Hank dump Eric onto his bed, pulling off the older man's leather boots.

"I gotta say, I've never seen him like this." Hank said as he caught Eric's foot, avoiding a pointless kick to the chest.

"I need to lay down... the room is spinning."

"You are laying down... Thank you for your help Hank."

With a shrug and a wave, Hank left the room to go back to his. With a heavy sigh I slipped out of my shoes crawling onto the mattress along side of the human headache.

"Go to sleep Eric." I said shutting my eyes pulling his back into my stomach, at last I had tamed the beast and would live to fight another day and...

"Charles... I'm going to be sick."

The speed I jumped away from the other man was electric. "Go! Away from me!" I shouted in terror standing on the bed pointing towards the bathroom. In a flash he was in the bathroom, the dreadful sound of vomit hitting the back of the toilet rang in my ears.

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: I'm glad you like the story so far, if you enjoy it please review so I know to keep going. Thank you!

I heard my name cried out in between a pause of not being sick. Even the strongest could be taken down by vomiting and turned into children.

_Charles... I think I'm dying._ His voice rang inside my head, the range of emotions I was seeing from him tonight would normally be very strange, if I wasn't so tipsy myself.

"Oh for the love of God..." I groaned opening my eyes rolling out of Eric's bed, finding my way to the half shut bathroom door. At some point he had undressed himself, for what reasoning I had no idea... why do drunk people do that?

I paused for a moment once inside the bathroom and realized after several moments I had been victimizing the poor man with my eyes, instead of helping him. Guilt ridden, I dropped a printed bathrobe onto his lap and sat him up right.

"Come on love, catch a breath." I said as I held a glass of tap water out to him, he was having a terrible time catching his breath. His shaking hands took the cup and it helped him settle down a bit. I took a seat on the edge of the bathtub, resting my hand on the back of his head fixing his normally perfect hair.

Sober Eric would be humiliated by this whole thing, I had never seen him be so dependent or helpless before. He cleared his throat and spit across the room in some poor attempt to rid his mouth of the stomach acid built up. Something inside me died while watching that lung stick and roll down the tiled wall.

"You are simply a delight. I don't know why we don't go to more parties." I dryly said trying to look anywhere else other then the toilet, the wall, or Eric's naked body.

His large glassy eyes looked up at me from his seat on the floor as I continued to comb his hair back with my fingers. "My Eric" I couldn't help but think to myself. I knew this place made him restless, he once explained as "Feeling like a caged animal."

He would get used to this and realize this is what he wanted, I always selfishly told myself. Because I wanted him to want it so bad... that would make him stay. He's turned me into a fool, I couldn't help but think. I'd fallen in love with the most difficult, troubled human in the world. All of my logic and brain power couldn't reason me out of it, he was magnetic to me.

"What worked you up so much tonight?" I softly asked looking down at him watching the gears in his mind turn for a moment. He gave no response and just turned his head resting it against the side of my leg. I shook my head as my hand took on a life of its own, my finger tips running along his neck.

He gave no response as his eyes slid shut as if he was ready to sleep right there covered in his own sick.

"Come on, up, up... shower will do you good then I'll leave you to your own devices." I tried hoisting him up but it seemed he had drank his own weight and I was unable to budge him.

"Oh for god sakes Eric, you're like one of those... big dogs that thinks they're a little foofy thing... help me!"

He comando rolled more into the bathtub then sat in it, his head catching on the side. I turned the water on which seemed to shake him out of his coma. He sat up saying something in polish I couldn't understand.

"Look at you... you look like a shiny new penny!" I was drowning in sexual tension and was desperately trying to dig my way out of this by joking the whole situation off. The thought "take advantage of..." kept popping up in the back of my mind through my drunken haze.

"I'll never drink again." He whispered as he curled onto his side the the far corner of the tub.

"Oh... we all say that... It will be Thanksgiving soon, and we all know how that is." I said as I turned the water off and began drying him off with a towel.

"I've never celebrated Thanksgiving." He grumbled, rolling onto his back willingly allowing me to dry him off. Eric had celebrated no holidays most of his whole life, a subject I was always forgetful about. He didn't understand any childhood references, most holidays, and every social norm. If he looked anything less then stunning his oddities might stick out more, but he was distractingly attractive.

"I don't know who G.I. Joe is, and I've never seen 'Journey to the Center of the Earth" the movie either. Anything else Charles?" He managed to snip at me and shoot a glare.

"I'm not being mean when I say those things, I'm just..."

I don't know when it started or who started it but I was kissing him. Kissing him in a way would be considered very rude in public. This wasn't in public, I was in my home... I was in our home.

Any physical encounter with him was very random and brief, he would shove me away and act very resentful towards me for the next serval days.

"What are you doing to my head?" He once shouted at me, accusing me of manipulating him, insisted he wasn't gay.

"I don't need a word for it, I just want to be with you." I'd plead, but something inside of him wouldn't let me get close to him.

"It isn't hard enough being a mutant Charles? Or do you just love a challenge?"

His shouts echoed in my head, reminding me all of this would be erased come morning...


	3. Chapter 3

"Um...uhhh... are you guys alright?"

I heard the voice, but my eyes felt stuck together. I shifted my weight making me realize I had slept in Eric's bathtub with him. I heard Raven's voice again; the boys always sent her to do the dirty work.

"Charles it's one o'clock, get up!" Her voice was frimer that time making the sound spike through my head, straight to the center of my hangover. I jerked awake trying to make sense of the mess of limbs I was wrapped up in. Eric was out cold, which really was for the better right now.

"Stop yelling..." I groaned at her, trying to find the will to move my cramped body out of the bathtub.

"What happened to the two of you last night? You switched rolls."

Alright, fair enough. I liked drinking games and going a bit too far, I worked hard so I liked to play hard.

Eric on the other hand, lived inside his head more then anyone I had ever met. Whenever I had searched his mind I always encountered a laundry list of things he disliked for no reason what so ever. He was a mental horder of disdained which fueled a lot of his anger. For all I know he could have gotten angry because he simply didn't like the way someone laughed at the party.

Breaking my train of thought Eric lunged awake, wide eyes starring Raven down in a way that made her take a step back.

"Eric..." She began holding out her hand, a brass towel hook flew off the wall buzzing past her head crashing in the other room. Another fixture broke off the wall, hurling at her but it dropped half way as Eric took his head into his hands groaning.

"Get out of here! Both of you!" He shouted into his hands, in the blink of an eye Raven was gone. I now stood in the door.

"Get out!" He barked at me, I felt my jaw square and my brow come together.

"Do you enjoy driving yourself crazy?" I snapped back watching him pull a bathrobe on and stumble out of the bathroom past me.

"I... I can't do this Charles..." His anger melted into fear at a rate I don't think he even expected, he rubbed the side of his face as he held onto his bedframe for support. I shook my head crossing my arms across my chest.

"Every time you realize this is something you want you get scared and reject me... you're... you're not a coward Eric, stop acting like one!" I cleared the space between us pushing him down to sit on the edge of his bed. I took his face in my hands and kissed him deep, I could no better hold water in a coffee filter then convince Eric things were better off this way.

"Please just tell me why you're so afraid..." I whispered breaking our mouths apart for a split second.

"I just..." He said breathless his hands coming up to my shoulders to push me away, but I refused pushing them back to the mattress.

He allowed it for several more moments before I found myself being shoved out of his room, the oak door slamming in my face.

" The man is lighting..." I grumbled looking up at the door I was now face to face with, I banged on the door several times before giving up.

I was with the children in physical form but not mentally, they all noticed but did their best to act as if they were clueless.

"Charles." Eric's voice came from behind me, I turned to him. He had a bag in hand.

"I'm leaving... for a little while." He softly said, breaking the news to me as gently as you could stomp on a person's heart I suppose. I made a face, but fought it back as I looked in a direction other then him.

"Yes well..."

"I'm coming back, I just... I need to think about things." He said as he looked in the opposite direction I was looking. My throat was growing tight, I felt a panic in me that I had never felt before, once again I recrossed my arms.

"Where are you going?" I asked my voice as even as it could be.

"Brazil, I-"

"You can go duck hunting in Maine if you need to clear you head, not Nazi hunting in South America." I only heard my words after they were out of my mouth, his head jerked back as if it stung. His mouth parted and he shook his head slowly, his gaze looking right at me.

"You know more about me then anyone in the world... so why do you want me to be someone I'm not so badly?

"Because I want you to be happy!" I snapped trying to keep my voice down "I want you to be happy... happy people don't go on vengeance killing sprees, or... or reject people they claim to care about. I want to have the ability to make you happy because you're the most important person in the world to me!"

I felt something stir inside of him, and maybe for a moment he debated staying. He took a step closer to me, his mouth parted as if he was trying to find the words he wanted to say.

"I'm...difficult. I know this. I'm going to come back Charles." He softly said with a nod, his hand came up and squeezed my shoulder.

I watched him walk away until he rounded the corner and vanished, I had a terrible feeling about him leaving.

I had been on auto pilot the last several days, I dove into my work to keep my mind busy but when ever there was a pause I'd stop and wonder if he was alright. Raven did her best to take care of me and help with daily practice but I couldn't hide the fact something was wrong from them.

Evenings were the worst part, his chair that sat empty in the study was a blaring reminder of him. A month back he had began making his way through all the teenage easy reads I had. Watching his expressions as he made his way through all the classics had become the highlight of my evening.

"Oh, this is such bullshit..." I could hear him in my head as he would go off on rants about the tactical errors of "The Hardy Boys" He'd have me in stitches laughing, until he had to remind me he wasn't trying to be funny.

"I'm serious! You can't lure a bank robber with a trail of quarters to the police station!" He started to laugh himself, but attempted to dedicate to his frustration.

"Is this why American's are the biggest bunch of lunatics I've ever met? They've been spoon fed this garbage since they were little and- Ha! Ha! Stop it Charles!"

I had been attempting to recreate a spy glass with a rolled up magazine and glass coaster as he ranted.

"No! It _will_ work because the Hardy Boys did it!" I laughed looking at him through the makeshift spyglass that worked very poorly. I loved making him laugh, my life seemed so much less complicated when he was happy. When he let me lean against him on the sofa and make light of the evening I felt as if I didn't need to solve all the world's problems. I felt I had everything with him.

My memories shifted, the image swirled in my mind as I drifted into a memory of the younger boys explaining a new device they had made to aid us in the field. Eric was never sure of the children but something always entertained him about them.

"Ok, so not all of us can fly so we were thinking _you_ could make us fly if we wore metal shoes!" Said Sean pointing to an improvise pair of shoes made of two old toasters. Him and Alex made their presentation standing in front of a seated Eric who was wearing a grin.

"You're still wearing toasters on your feet, if I was Shaw I'd zap your feet right off." Was Eric's response, giving them a harder time then necessary. He liked to tease them, he always played a bit rougher with them then I did. Eric always told them what he thought, said it was healthy not to fill their heads with "fake positive reinforcement". The tall man was better with them then he gave himself credit.

"These are prototypes!" They defended

"You look like the Hardy Boys!" He laughed gesturing at their feet, they groaned in response.

"So what do you want to do? Try them out? Well... alright boys line up at the balcony."

"Eric! Come on!" I said standing from my seat ready to prevent a mishap, innocently the taller man shrugged with a knowing grin.

"You threw one out the bathroom window last week..."

"Completely different, there aren't any bushes outside the balcony"

_Charles... Charles!_

I sat up out of my chair, hearing Eric's voice interrupt my day- dream.

_Eric?_

_Charles! Charles! _His voice sounded ragged and panicked, as if he had been running for a long time.

I closed my eyes trying not to let my own panic settle in, I caught flashes inside of Eric's head. What I saw was vague as if Eric himself was having a difficult time seeing what was in front of him

_Eric please try to tell me where you are..._

_I dont... GET OFF OF ME!... Charles!...Off! Charles!_

My adrenaline surged through me giving my mind a boost as I reached out for Eric trying to locate him. He was over run and exhausted trapped in a location with conveniently little to no metal objects, a trap I'm sure.

_I can't... see, I feel... can't breath..._

I didn't stop to wonder or worry what has happened I jumped out of my seat moving into action. As I assembled my things I felt a spike of pain run through my head.

_Can you hear me Charles? _A chill ran down my back hearing a voice that wasn't my friend's in my head. Shaw. I saw a vague image of him and Emma Frost standing over Eric's body as he gripped his chest.

_Thank you for taking such good care of him Charles, but it's time Eric came back home._

I heard Eric protest calling out for me then my mind went blank of anything, my blood boiled.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: Hi, sorry this one took a bit longer to put out. Had a bunch of real world matters to settle before I could sit down and write anything. Here you are, I hope you all enjoy.

Two men dragged him down a hallway, he protested the whole way his hands reaching for corners making his nails split against the stone walls. He was one of the strongest mutants maybe in the world, but without any metal he was merely another man.

"Get OFF!" He roared attempting to fight the two men off of him, kicking and swinging any limb that broke free. They wielded wooden clubs which they generously retaliated with.

"Hit me one more time and see what happens to you." One of the men threatened as he paused the journey to take the time to choke Eric with his club held tight to his throat. Eric gasped for air as he was brought down to his knees gagging. He was held there for an extended amount of time in order for the guard to get his point across.

"I might be afraid of you, if we didn't set this place up just for you... you're powerless here. So start acting like it."

His eyes were dipping in the back of his head as he was spoon fed threats and big talk.

"There's no need for that." Came Shaw's voice as he walked down the hall aiding to Eric's side.

"Come on." He said holding his hand out patiently waiting for Eric to catch his breath. Watching Shaw interact with Eric left the same feeling that seeing an owner be cruel to his pet would leave. Eric walked by Shaw's side down the hall silently, his eyes watching his feet as he walked.

"You've been playing house in the States for some time now, I can see it's not working for you any longer." Shaw said leading Eric into a room that was furnished to vaguely resemble a study, he pointed to a chair and Eric took a seat in it silently. His eyes never left his shoes as he scratched the back of his neck.

Shaw watched Eric for a moment, his eyes moving from head to toe as he laced his fingers together.  
>"You've grown up so much, I honestly never thought this would be the size you'd become. You must be world's tallest Jew." His comment maybe was an attempted to make light of the situation, but Eric's body began to shake his anger was growing so fast inside of him. It phased Shaw in no way at all, he had been provoking Eric for many years now.<p>

"I've told you your whole life this world isn't made for people like us, you're better off here... with me." Shaw took a seat in a chair that was positioned across from Eric's who still wouldn't speak. The doctor asked him several more questions, the other man gave no reply other then a shrug. Eric was trying to contain himself in order to take Shaw's power of him away. Slightly frustrated by this Shaw leaned in resting his elbows on his knees.

"You know anything with that American boy you care so much about could never last, that's why you're here with me and not him... Has he seen your night terrors? Or have you even let him get that close to you?" Shaw chuckled to himself for a moment. "I suppose I should blame myself, I never explained the birds and the bees to you... but honestly Eric you should have known to pick a nice girl instead of a nice boy."

"What do you want me to say?" Eric asked softly after a long pause, his eyes slowly looking up from his feet to the other man in front of him. He clenched his teeth as a vein in the side of his forehead swelled.

"Do you want me to be frightened of you like I'm a twelve year old boy? Do you want me to beg for my freedom? Dose the man who made me want me to be ashamed of who I am?" his eyebrows met together in the center of his forehead his voice slowly growing louder with each word. "I don't need to be afraid. I don't need to beg. I don't need a nice girl. I don't need metal..."

With a flash of movement Eric was on top of Shaw his chair flipped back, Eric's hands as tight at they could grip around his neck. His eyes were wild, his mind flashed with images of his childhood fueling a wild rage through him.

"_Because I'm going to kill you with my own hands_." He was nearly frothing at the mouth, his feelings so stronge and wild the bunker they were in groaned.

There was a crash from outside, pulling me out of my concentration. My visions of Eric and Shaw faded away as I opened my eyes. I promptly sat up off the hotel bed going over to the window. The cars on the street were being dragged, all the the same direction as if a force had a grip on them. The people in the streets panicked, unsure of what the cause for their cars to suddenly be dragged would be. The street lights groaned as they were all bent in the same direction. Pocket watches, pens, forks, knives flew out of people's hands all heading to the same location towards the mountains outside of the city.

"Eric." I whispered grabbing my hat and racing out of the hotel down the street in the direction the objects were moving. My watch pulled at my wrist and my loose change left my pockets, I picked up my foot pace now in full sprint. A scooter zoomed past me clipping my leg, my heart beat out of my chest like a drum as adrenaline dumped into my blood stream. It was quiet a sight to see and a sound to hear. I wondered briefly what everyone around me must think of all of this. I thought more of Eric, I thought more of the both of us being back home.

And then, without notice everything ceased; dropping to the ground like dead weight. Random small objects littered the ground at my feet, I ran past people now gathering them franticly. Something was terribly wrong, but I had a direction, I was another step closer.


	5. Chapter 5

For the longest time all I could see was darkness and the vague sound of voices. I could feel Eric was in terrible pain. He must have been unconscious I thought walking up the hill side, following a scattered trail of metal trinkets that made it further then the heavier objects. I hadn't bothered to check in with Eric for the last hour to avoid feeling discouraged.

I paused for a moment feeling the hairs on the back of my neck rise. I couldn't ignore the feeling as I took a seat on the ground closing my eyes.

"Thank you gentleman..." Shaw's voice came. My image of that room once again becoming clear. Eric sat slumped in his chair, bond to it by ropes with a large split on the side of his forehead. The area under his right eye was turning a purple color.

"Enough." Shaw said as he tilted Eric's head back to look at the injury, Eric tried to pull his head away but the blow had slowed him down. The older man sighed pulling a handkerchief out of his back pocket pressing it to the area. Eric's eyes slid shut as he let out a sigh, the pressure relieving some of the tension in his head.

"It'll leave a small scar." Shaw now spoke as if Eric had not just tried to strangle him to death, he was used to the younger male's out bursts. Shaw's free hand combed through Eric's hair, his finger tips freezing over a small area where hair did not grow. Eric tried to jerk his head away as his skin broke out in gooseflesh, memories flashing behind his eyes. Shaw combed his hair over the area, mimicking the way Eric would brush his hair over the small mark.

"All of that is in the past, I have no desire to harm you. I only want you back."

Eric's chest grew so tight he had been holding his breath, his bottom lip shook as best as he tried not to let it.

His mind still foggy, his chest tight and his body in dire need of air he let out a shaky sob but refused to shed tears. Shaw shushed him as he finished cleaning the side of Eric's face.

"You were always a nervous child," Shaw sighed as he pulled his chair closer to Eric, now sitting knee to knee. He reached out and placed his hand on the other shoulder looking at him for a long moment. "You've grown into such an intelligent, strong willed adult... I wish I could take credit for teaching you those things... You're mother would be very proud of who you've become."

Compliments were like poisoned honey from Shaw, Eric shut his eyes tight turning his head to the side. His mothers face haunting him from behind his eyes, he had few memories of her, so few at times he wondered if he had made them up in order to cope.

Hopelessness began to sink into Eric, a feeling that he rarely fell victim to but it would take a mighty hold on him if it sank in. He hug his head looking at the voided space between his feet as a tear rolled off his face down to the cobble stone floor. There was a moment of silence as the two of them sat in the room both their minds racing with thoughts.

Where Eric's eyes focused on a floor, a small marble rolled under his chair to his line of vision. He studied it for a moment confused by it's sudden entrance. His mouth parted as he let out a soft breath of surprise and his skin tingled in anticipation. Shaw's eyes looked down at the marble his own gasp of surprise making him pause.

"Lead." Eric whispered in a lusty tone, the marble shooting off of the floor ripping straight through Shaw's chest exiting out the back of his jacket.

I picked up my pace down the hallway reaching into my pocket pulling out a fist full of metal objects I had collected along the way throwing them far in front of me. The objects never had time to hit the ground as Eric reached out for them using them to cut through his bindings. He jumped to his feet just as I entered the room, his head injury seemed to be affecting him as he cringed holding onto his head. The metal that orbited around him fell to the ground as he himself fell onto one knee.

"Eric!" I shouted going to his side, it seemed to take him a moment to process it was me at his side.

"Charles." He said hugging me in a manor I had never felt from him before, I hugged him equal back .

"I'm sorry." He said into my shoulder, I had told myself I would be angry at him once I found him but that feeling washed away.

"It's all right... it's all right." I sighed with a smile, then promptly helped him to his feet. Men swarmed the room as we prepared to exit, Eric looked at them in a manor I had grown to be slightly worried about. The pieces once again rose off of the ground, whizzing towards those men making them fall to the ground quicker then they came in.

"How did you get in here?" He asked me as we ran down a hallway that lead to a dead end.

"Through the old well system, come on!" I said taking a bucket and rope that hung at the end of the hall, leading to the surface. We each took the rope, my arm wrapping around Eric's waist as he stood in front of me.

"Hey, Charles." He said looking over his shoulder with a grin playing on his lips as my other hand cut the rope with a pocket knife.

"The Hardy boys escaped out of a well like this once." The grin was spreading across his face like wild fire, I rolled my eyes at him as the last of the rope snapped elevating us to the top of the well. We climbed out of the well with the grace of two drunk bears falling to the forest floor catching our breathes.

"Let me see you head, you could have a concussion." I said climbing my torso half on top of him looking at his gash and black eye.

"I'm fine." He said trying to pull my hands away but I swatted his attempts away from me.

"I came all the way to Brazil to save you, the flight was a nightmare, I have been bitten by species of insects not yet documented and the water has affected my stomach. Shut up, and let me look at your head." Our eyes contact lingered for a moment after my snap at him, I don't know if it surprised him or excited him to hear me speak to him in such a tone. I'd have to assume it was the other because he took my face in his hands pulling me into a deep long kiss. Shocked I was tense for a moment before melting into him.

"I want to go home." Eric said when our mouths broke apart, I nodded.

...TBC...?


	6. Chapter 6

Eric's sheets smelt wonderfully similar to him, expensive after shave and fresh laundry. They felt fantastic too, maybe more so because I always imagined myself rolling around in them. Your mind always had a way of shaping things into the way you wanted them to be, rather then how they were. My hands found their way through the dark to the other man's wrists, stretching his arms up to the sides of his head. My nose had been teasing the patch of skin behind his ear for some time, it had an amazing affect on him.

He always needed a bit of encouragement, being the creature of habit he was. Always putting up a moment of resistance before I grabbed him and gave him a good reminder it was alright to relax. He was shy, not prude that was for sure. The only problem seemed to be we never had a enough time to ourselves once we returned from Brazil. The world seemed to be knocking on our door more often with the Soviets putting pressure on the States.

At times we would act as if nothing had changed and we would move around each other in our daily tasks without so much of a blink. Something small would spark a chain reaction of fumbling hands and mouths in random privet spots in the house. During one closet session we hadn't realized the girls had put there art supplies poorly on a shelf, and the rest of the day the two of us were covered in glitter unable to shake it off. Eric would at times point out that turtle neck would never again be glitter free.

You couldn't explain to world leaders that two of the most powerful mutants alive where trying to get past third base for three weeks now. My stomach had started to ache from so many unfinished moments.

Work had been something we were putting just as much energy into keeping separate from our personal life as trying to have a personal life. Eric's shift in mood couldn't be denied by anyone at the agency. He was still smug and crash, but with a lighter more even temper.

"Charles..." His voice softly murmured as his mouth found mine, his weight moving against my body. I felt like a teenager feeling hands running over my skin for the first time. My hands moved around him one of them resting on the nape of his neck aiding me in tilting his head back.

I was slowly learning a different side of him, one a bit softer and enjoyed laying on top of me watching old cowboy movies. He used to be quickly angered by my touch, but now that he allowed himself to enjoy it, a mound of stress seamed to be off his chest.

I was suffering from blood loss in my head as the phone by the bed rang for a full minute before I took note of it. In a moment of madness I shoved the phone off the night stand, the sounds of who ever was on the other line a static noise

I was drunk on him as I climbed on top, my hands stumbling over the front button of his pants. All the mental power I had and a small button was giving more trouble then atomic theory. My blinders were on, all my focus was towards getting what I wanted to notice the bedroom door open.

"You're so beautiful." I moaned softly in his ear making the temperature of his face rise.

Eric noticed anything before I did, his eyes looking over my shoulder as he broke our kiss to warn me about the blow coming to my head. I didn't feel a thing as my eyes rolled back in my head and everything went black.

I'm not sure how much time had past but I couldn't help but ponder on how much brain damage the two of us had suffered since we first met. I heard Eric's voice but he wasn't speaking in English, and he was talking very fast.

"I know it's difficult for you, but you're going to have to relax if you don't want to be injured." An icy all too familiar voice oozed into my ear. I heard Eric scream in a manor that I was familiar with. He was past the point of words and just furious, his feelings built up in him so rapidly he would panic.

"Eric..." I mustered out, my head throbbing like it had a nail in it. I heard him catch his breath but he was still making a low tone. I opened my eyes, the night stand lamp was on; feeling all too bright for me at that moment.

"Evening Charles, so sorry about not knocking." Shaw said as he stepped into my line of vision as my focus came to. His goon squad stood in the room looking at the two of us with there arms crossed, with a cat ate the canary grin on all their faces. Eric laid on his side, shirtless with his finger clinging to a collar around his neck. His eyes blinked in an irregular pattern as blood ran out of his nose. I went to go to his side but was kicked back by the heel of Shaw's foot.

"He's just being difficult, the collar only reacts when he attempts to connect with anything metallic." Shaw said as if it would calm my nervers about his condition. He crouched down in front of me, Emma's mind affecting my own.

"You have a vested intrest in that boy just as much as I do," He said his voice soft and even as if he spoke to a person much younger then myself "But you need to sit back and ask yourself "Is this really a long term solution?" I have lived through many changing times and had to bend to the will of that change. Eric has lived more lives then any of us, he knows the true nature of people... how unfair life can be."

I looked past Shaw to Eric who now sat up right has chest huffing, sweat rolling down his forehead, he looked over at me his eyes angry. I tried to reach out to him but was blocked by that damn woman.

One of Eric's greatest faults was that he was so powerful, he took his abilities for granted more then he realized. Without them he was a bit more clumsy.

"I killed you." Eric said the tone of his voice showing strain due to the device around his neck.

Shaw spun on his heels turning to face the other man, his hand came up and touched the spot on his chest where Eric had fired a lead ball threw him.

"You were off that day... it's not your fault." Shaw responded with a grin, he turned back to me with a look in his eye that I never trusted.

"Charles I'm in need of your ability but you're reluctant to give it up. If there was any chance the two of us could ever sit down and have a conversation about this, I would. But the two of you seem to have a chip on your shoulder towards me." He frowned in a mocking manor, his face shifted back into a grin.

"You've changed him in ways I never could, most likely due to emotional reasons. Eric, you never responded to a single act of kindness until you met Charles... It's really very touching. This is how I know I can use him to get what I want out of you."

He leaned into my personal space as if testing me, I hated that man's face.

"You're going to do what I want you to do or you won't even recognize Eric once I'm done with him."

With that he rose to his feet pulling Eric up as well, he looked him over for a moment as if he was checking if he was alright. Eric said nothing to the other man and simply looked in a direction oposite of his.

"Be reasonable Eric." Shaw said to him as if they were the only people standing in the room, Eric glanced at him for a moment before looking in another direction again. Shaw looked in my direction as I was pulled to my feet by one of the other party members.

"He won't even be able to recognize you."

My chest pounded so hard I felt as if I needed to sit down, I needed my mind, I needed Eric, where were the children?

"What do you want me to do?"


End file.
